When does Stiffness in Ankle Go Away?

Foot care
1

Hi everyone,

I've been out of my cast in a cam boot and in physical therapy for about 16 days now. How long does it generally take for stiffness in the ankle to go away? Still pretty swollen I'm sure that contributes to the tightness.

I hope everyone's recovery is going well!

2

Hello, in my experience after 2-3 weeks of physio my ankle really loosened up but I still feel stiffness every morning and after long periods of sitting and I'm now 2 months post cast. Make sure you're giving the ankle a good massage to help with the circulation and swelling.

Tara

3

It took about 4 months post cast for me to feel remotely normal. I used camphor balm for the swelling and had regular physio. It is a slow process but you do get there. I wish you well in your recovery.

4

Hi Machelle! I have been out of my cast for 1 and a half weeks now. My foot is stiff, and swollen when I am standing. My first trip in the morning is when my foot feels very stiff. After that it feels less so. I am anxious for the swelling to take a hike,  but it could take awhile. Everybody's healing is different: some take longer, some are fortunate to have shorter time periods. I don't know where I stand on that spectrum. I try to be patient and take it day by day. And I try not to think in terms of weeks or months. Each step is progress. At the moment, I am still using crutches and can only put some weight on my injured foot. Breaking my ankle has made life and doing simple chores quite challenging. Machelle, I wish you all the best in your recovery.

5

I’m still waiting. I fell June 15 and broke my tibia and fibula, had surgery and wore an air boot. I had 6 weeks of pt and I still can’t walk without a crutch. Stiffness, swelling and redness.

6

im 6 months post surgery. plate and 9 screws in ankle. the stiffness goes away in about 4 months, at least for me it did. i started playing soccer in 5 months, at times my ankle becomes sore but nothing i can't handle. you have to stretch and strengthen your ankle a lot more if you want it to be gone quickly. 

7

Thanks Sarah

4 months seems to be the magic number. I am doing my exercises all through the day. My PT said the more I stretch and move my ankle the looser it will become. That's encouraging you are able to play soccer at 5 months!

8

Thanks Ann,

Are you in a boot? This week I am suppose to be 75% weight bearing, it's so hard to judge. My PT told me just to put as much weight as is comfortable. I do stretches all day long. At 2 months I guess it is normal to have the stiffness and swelling. I try to remind my self I am making progress and can flex my ankle a lot more than I could 2 weeks ago. What a long journey! 

Good luck with your recovery as well Ann!

9

Thanks Diane 

Did you use the balm after your incisions healed? I just got the go ahead to moisturize my foot this week. Thank goodness, my foot was not a pretty sight! I am going to PT twice a week and he is able to get pretty good range of motion.

I hope your fully recovered, I love to hear from people who are on the other side of this injury.

10

Thanks Tara

I'm 2 weeks into PT. Getting better, I just have to realize what a long process this is.

11

Good day Machelle! I hope your day is going well. I was wondering about getting a boot, but I would have to buy one and they are too expensive for me. Curtis, my physiotherapist said to use 30% weight bearing. I do get carried away sometimes and use more. Curtis also said to increase the percentage to 60% after my appointment next Friday. I did overdo it yesterday, but am resting as much as I can today. Keep on getting better Machelle!